GRAHAM DEFERS PLAN TO PROHIBIT SEAWALLS

A controversial proposal that would prohibit seawalls and other coastal barriers to protect private property was deferred again Wednesday by Gov. Bob Graham and the Cabinet.

The policy, developed by the state Division of Beaches and Shores after last Thanksgiving's storm, is based on the theory that coastal barriers cause beach erosion and eventually will destroy the state's beaches.

Graham strongly supports the proposal, but it appears to have little support among the six Cabinet officers. They were particularly disturbed about the affect on property owners whose homes have no protection but that are likely to wash away with the next major storm.

If the policy were approved, those property owners would not be allowed to build seawalls or other barriers to protect their property.

"That is not a rational or practical answer to a very real problem," said Secretary of State George Firestone, who made the motion to defer the policy for the second time. "Perhaps we're seeking a simple, easy solution. We should be innovative and imaginative."

Firestone suggested the state send employees to the Netherlands to learn how the Dutch have been able for years to reclaim land from the sea.

Numerous property owners from Bethune Beach in Volusia County, Cocoa Beach in Brevard County and Vero Beach in Indian River County came to Wednesday's meeting to protest the proposed policy.